Quotes from Christina Baker Kline

Well, then," Mrs. Byrne says. "Let's get back to work. Dorothy, your suitcase is in the foyer. We'll discuss sleeping arrangements at supper." She turns to leave, then adds, "We keep strict hours for mealtimes. Breakfast at eight, lunch at twelve, supper at six. There is no snacking between meals. Self-discipline is one of the most important qualities a young lady can possess.

I shrank back, my face flaming as if I'd been struck. And in that moment something changed. I didn't trust her anymore. When she cried, I felt numb. After that, she called me heartless, unfeeling. And maybe I was. A

Maybe humans are like that, she thought. Maybe the moments that meant something to you and the people you've loved over the years are the rings. Maybe what you thought you'd lost is still there, inside of you, giving you strength.

Riddled his body with bullets"—my da talked like that. Mam was always shushing him, but he waved her off. "It's important they know this," he said. "It's their history! We might be over here now, but by God, our people are over there.

Pusillanimous. Talisman.

You could be my daughter, you know," Mr. Byrne tells me. "Your name—Dorothy . . . we always said we'd give to our own child someday, but alas it didn't come to pass. And here you are, red hair and all.

I think of the tattered picture tacked to my long-ago bulletin board, the man of my fantasies on Blueberry Cove Lane, the mirage of a perfect life that brought me to Maine in the first place. Fairy tales end happily ever after because children crave certainty and resolution; they need to know how things turn out. But if my experiences in the past three months have shown me anything, it's that I am comfortable living with more questions than answers.

Maybe all of us could live several lives, giving some things up and gaining others, assembling different versions of contentment.

I keep forgetting to answer to Dorothy.

The questions on the assignment sheet are: What did you choose to bring with you to the next place? What did you leave behind? What insights did you gain about what's important? Molly's kind of into the idea of the project, but she doesn't want to interview Ralph or—God forbid—Dina.

No, I am Dorothy now.

She made an Excel spreadsheet on her laptop that lays it all out. Jack would laugh if he knew, but she's been in the system long enough to understand that it all comes down to documentation.

New York is gray and slushy and miserable for months. But

Maybe it doesn't matter how much gets done. Maybe the value is in the process—in

Get your papers in order, with the right signatures and record keeping, and the charges will be dropped, money released, whatever. If you're disorganized, you risk losing everything.

Out of the four large windows facing the water she can see the sine curve of the coastline, the serrated firs in the distance, the glittery amethyst sea.

other, better, memories: making fried eggs with her dad, turning them over with a large black plastic spatula. "Not so fast, Molly Molasses," he'd say. "Easy. Otherwise the eggs'll go splat.

Every Easter she and her mother planted those crocuses near the fence beside the driveway, and soon enough a whole cluster of them, white and purple and pink, sprang annually like magic

there were over thirty thousand Wabanakis living on the East Coast in 1600 and that 90 percent of them had died by 1620, almost entirely a result of contact with settlers, who brought foreign diseases and alcohol, drained resources, and fought with the tribes for control of the land.

When I think about what would make me happy, I am struck by how basic my desires are. I want to feel that I'm progressing through life; I want a meaningful relationship and an engaging career. I want to live in a place that feels like home. What I want is what everyone wants-so ordinary as to be clichéd. Why is that so hard to find?

She remembers third grade at the Indian Island School, where she learned that the name Penobscot is from Panawahpskek, meaning "the place where the rocks spread out" at the head of the tribal river, right where they were. That Wabanaki means "people of the Dawnland," because the tribes live in the region where the first light of dawn touches the American continent.

My own awakening feels as momentous. I too am blanketed, my harsh edges obscured and transformed.

She learned about Indian words that have been incorporated into American English, like moose and pecan and squash, and Penobscot words like kwai kwai, a friendly greeting, and woliwoni, thank you.

As my health improves I begin to worry: this won't last. I will be sent away. I made it through this year because I had to, because I had no options. But now that I've experienced comfort and safety, how can I go back? These thoughts take me to the edge of despair, so I will myself—I force myself—not to have them.